Let's Talk Closed Areas

Did you know that as of March 2011, the Gulf of Mexico had 295
marine protected areas?

But not all of these are created equally - they can have varying levels of regulation
and are managed by different organizations. Needless to say, marine protected areas
can be a confusing topic.

This storyboard aims to clear up some of that confusion, discussing topics like
what is a marine protected area, closed area enforcement and education, and who
manages what? Click the button below to learn more!

NOAA Southeast Deep Coral Initiative

Want to go for a swim? How about down around 1,300 feet?
You're going to need a submarine for that, so unless you're friends with Elon Musk
or James Cameron it's probably not going to happen, BUT...

you CAN go exploring with the crew of the R/V Nancy Foster, which sent down an
ROV to check out coral habitat off the coast off west Florida. To learn more about
what kinds of
creatures can be found deep in the Gulf of Mexico, click the button below.

The Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a community of organisms and the
environment in which these organisms live. The size of an ecosystem can range from a tiny
speck of marine snow to the entire ocean.

The Gulf of Mexico is considered a 'large marine ecosystem,' and managers are
charged with managing the resources within it. Click the button below to
learn more about how the Gulf Council is participating in ecosystem management.

Map.

Image credit: BOEM/NOAA/OER

Coral Viewer

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is responsible for the conserveration
and management of coral and fishery resources in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf
Council manages more than 142 species as part of the Coral Fishery Management Plan including four
species on the Threatened Species List. This purpose of this map is to create an interactive resources
to facilitate review, discussion, and decision making ragarding coral management in the Gulf of Mexico.
Launch map

Image credit: NOAA

Predictive Modeling of Deep-sea Coral Habitat

Deep-sea corals are of particular conservation concern due to their slow growth rates and vulnerability to disturbance.
Predicitive modeling of deep-sea coral habitat can aid conservation planning, inform management of offshore activities affecting
the seafloor, and guide exploration. Modeling can also lend insights into the environmental factors driving the distribution of deep-sea corals,
helping to build our understanding of how these unique ecosystems function. This map depicts the predicted likelihood for framework-forming
deep-sea corals in the Gulf of Mexico.
Launch map

Image credit: NOAA

Coral HAPC Explorer

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is considering changes to current Habitat Area
of Particular Concern (HAPC) designation based on new information that has identified additional
sensitive areas supporting deep-water corals in the Gulf. This map allows you to explore
coral data and locations of current and recommended HAPCs. We understand that spatial data
can be pretty complicated and often requires the use of expensive software, we hope this
application allows you to easily visualize what the Council is up to with corals in the Gulf.
Launch map

Image credit: NOAA

Essential Fish Habitat Map

Three fishery management councils - the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic,
and U.S. Caribbean - are responsible for identifying essential fish habitat (EFH) for federally
managed species in the southeast United States. Fish require healthy surroundings to survive
and reproduce. Essential fish habitat includes all types of aquatic habitat - wetlands, coral reefs,
seagrasses, mangroves - where fish spawn, breed, feed, or grow to maturity. This map allows you to visualize
where EFH is located in the Gulf of Mexico by fishery management plan, but to really get the most out of
the map use the pin or draw tool to see which EFH layers exist in any area of the Gulf.
Launch map

Image credit: Claire Roberts

Fishery Management Areas

Management areas are created by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to achieve the
goals of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. This interactive map
allows users to view fishery management areas, boundaries, and their associated fishing regulations
in the Gulf of Mexico.
Launch map

Image credit: NOAA

Spiny Lobster Closed Areas

In 2009, the National Marine Fisheries Service completed a Biological Opinion of the Spiny
Lobster Fishery which concluded that spiny lobster trap fishing activities put sea turtles,
smalltooth sawfish, and staghorn and elkhorn corals at risk. The Gulf and South Atlantic Fishery
Management Councils took action to address the concerns outlined in the Biological Opinion, and
in an effort to protect threatened staghorn and elkhorn corals, closed areas were created in federal
waters off the Florida Keys that were identified as containing colonies for these coral species.
Transitting is allowed through these areas, but spiny lobster trapping is prohibited. This map shows
spiny lobster closed areas and allows geolocation to indicate if you're in a closed area or not.
Launch map

Manage.

Red Snapper Decision Support Tool

The Gulf Council is considering an amendment that could establish a regional approach
for managing recreationally harvested red snapper to improve access and allow regional
flexibility of management. The Council recognizes that this is a complex issue and requires
consideration of the outcomes for both anglers on for-hire vessels and anglers on private
vessels. This interactive app describes the alternatives under consideration and allows
expected outcomes for each alternative for both components of the recreational fishery.
To learn more, read the draft amendment or open the app. You can submit public comments
here.

Image credit: NOAA

Essential Fish Habitat 5-Year Review

This resource summaries findings of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's 2011-2016
review of essential fish habitat (EFH) in the Gulf of Mexico. This review included the development
of species profiles, updated habitat association tables, habitat maps, and the bibliography used to
produce the review. This application is interactive and can be queried by species, or if you explore the EFH maps,
both species and lifestage.
Launch resource

Image credit: NOAA/OER

Coral Amendment 9

The Gulf Council is considering establishing new coral protections in the Gulf of Mexico to conserve essential
fish habitat and support sustainable fisheries. The Council's fishermen and scientific advisors have recognized
15 areas that are unique in their abundance and diversity of corals that may warrant further protections.
Read the amendment or explore the HAPCs under consideration.

Discover.

Image credit: NOAA

Lionfish: The Invasion

The spread of lionfish has been fast, and now they're threatening fishery resources and the health of corals in the
Gulf of Mexico. This storyboard explains how lionfish arrived in the Gulf, their impact on coral and fishery ecosystems,
and how you can support migitigation efforts. Launch site

Image credit: NOAA/FKNMS

Goliath Grouper

Goliath grouper are the largest grouper in the Gulf of Mexico; reaching 8 feet in length and
weighing up to 850 lbs. This impressive species was historically depleted but has made quite a comeback.
Unfortunately, interactions between goliath grouper and anglers still occur, and these interactions plus
their increased abundance has led to controversy over management strategies. This storyboard showcases some
interesting facts about goliath grouper and highlights management-related challenges surrounding the species.
Launch site

Image credit: NOAA Ocean Explorer

Coral Reef Management

Coral reefs are some of the most complex ecosystems on earth and provide habitat for many fish and
invertebrates. This storyboard gives a brief look into how the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
manages corals throughout the Gulf of Mexico. It also describes unique coral reefs in the Gulf,
coral management areas, the Endangered Species Act, octocorals, and live rock management.
Launch site

Image credit: Erik Cordes

Deep-water Coral in the Gulf of Mexico

Deep-water corals are some of the strangest habitats on earth. These corals live at depths of 1000 feet
or more where sunlight doesn't penetrate and where water temperatures can be near freezing. Traditional coral
reefs are mostly made up of stony corals, but in the deep ocean, octocorals, black corals and stony corals all thrive.
This storyboard describes types of deep-water corals, the ecology of living in an inhospitable environment, deep-water
coral management in the Gulf of Mexico, and local scale and global threats to these corals.
Launch site

Image credit: Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

Causes and Consequences of Coral Reef Decline

While corals have been resilient to changing oceans throughout time, oceans are changing at an
unprecedented rate. Slow-growing corals may not be able to adapt quickly enough to survive so much variablity.
This storyboard discusses factors that threated the health of our coral reefs.
Launch site

The Portal Blog

The Portal Blog was created to highlight GIS data that may otherwise
get lost in all the material on the Portal home page. Right now, it includes posts on
habitat types and how they are linked to coral reefs and fishery resources in the Gulf of
Mexico. It also provides publications from Portal staffers that are relevant to habitats in the
Gulf. You can find out about recent or upcoming presentations on habitat here too.
Launch the blog

Creatures of the Deep

When you open this poster, it appears to be just a static image, but don't let that appearance fool
you. If you click a numbered picture you'll be able to learn so much more about what's going on with
the species in the poster! Some of the information provided includes a description, geographic
distribution, and a depth profile.
Launch the poster

Ecosystems of the Deep

Similarly to Creatures of the Deep, when you open this poster, it appears to be just a static image, but don't let that appearance fool
you. If you click a numbered picture you'll be able to learn so much more about what's going on with
the species in the poster! Some of the information provided includes a description, geographic
distribution, and a depth profile.
Launch the poster

Github

To all the nerds out there, this one is for you! This link will take you to the
Gulf Council github page. We try to keep our work as open source as possible,
so if you're wondering how we build a particular resource found on the Portal, there's a pretty
good chance the code is available here. We're also happy to answer any questions you have about
our web application development process.
Launch Page

Let's Talk Closed Areas

Did you know that as of March 2011, the Gulf of Mexico had 295 marine protected areas?
But not all of these are created equally - they can have varying levels of
regulation and are managed by different organizations. Needless to say, marine protected
areas can be a confusing topic.
This storyboard aims to clear up some of that confusion, discussing topics
like what is a marine protected area, closed area enforcement and education, and who
manages what? Click the button below to learn more!
Launch site

NOAA Southeast Deep Coral Initiative

Want to go for a swim? How about down around 1,300 feet? You're going to need a
submarine for that, so unless you're friends with Elon Musk or James Cameron
it's probably not going to happen, BUT...
you CAN go exploring with the crew of the R/V Nancy Foster, which sent
down an ROV to check out coral habitat off the coast off west Florida.
To learn more about what kinds of creatures can be found deep in the Gulf of
Mexico, click the button below.
Launch site

The Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a community of organisms and the environment in
which these organisms live. The size of an ecosystem can range from a
tiny speck of marine snow to the entire ocean. The Gulf of Mexico is
considered a 'large marine ecosystem,' and managers are charged with
managing the resources within it. Click the button below to learn more about
how the Gulf Council is participating in ecosystem management.
Launch site